We have one very large church, 5 locations......local television presence. I am concerned with the amount of cash deposits we are seeing. I expect to see large cash deposits on Mondays (after weekend services) and an upward trend around holidays. What we are seeing is DAILY cash deposits, between 11K-20K, we are filing CTRs, but I am surprised to see that level of cash coming in each day. Also since this church is very technology savvy, I'd expect they are moving their congregation to ACH tithing rather than a reliance on passing the offering plate around.

Anyone out there have experience with banking this type of large church? Does this amount of cash each day seem reasonable? We have a significant number of small churches we bank but nothing with cash volumes like we see from the big church.

Any guidance is appreciated.

There isn't much cash in the plate when it goes by me on Sunday; it's mostly envelopes and a few checks. I would be tempted to visit and sit next to where the ushers congregate with the day's take to see if their bounty looked any different to me.

Then, I would look at the disbursements; i.e. the checks drawn on the accounts. Then, I would start asking questions... If necessary, couch your queries about the cash in terms of concern over the physical security of the people who transport the funds.

If the cash is coming in throughout the week, take a look to see if the church's service schedule fits the pattern (Sunday isn't the only day services might be held). Also see if cash originating at any of the outlying locations might be transported to the hub church before deposits are made. That might also explain the staggered (and staggering) deposits.

Also, are they appealing for contributions or selling anything on television? Many folks do send in cash with these churches.

In addition to the suggestions above, consider what else the church offers besides worship services. Do they operate a cafe/bookstore on premises, for example?

And while one might expect tech savvy churches to move toward ACH, it is not a move that would be adopted quickly, if at all, by many churchgoers. To many, the offering isn't about fundraising or being charitable, it is an act of worship. Such a parishoner will not move their regular giving to a mechanism that takes place outside of the service.

We banked a very large church some years ago, sounds similar, with the televised show etc., - they had very large cash deposits on Monday, but not on other days.
I agree with the above, that a visit is needed.